Minimal Gains for Women in NJ Elections [AUDIO]

The case for more women in elected office made little headway during Tuesday’s elections.

Statehouse (NJSenateRepublicans.com)

New Jersey increased its count of women in the Legislature by a net total of one Tuesday.

That lone winner was Republican Maria Rodriguez-Gregg in the 8th District General Assembly.

“Even in this day and age, where you have a female Gubernatorial candidate, you have two women running for Lt. Governor, the relative political power exercised by women is really sparse,” Montclair University Political Scientist Brigid Harrison said.

According to Rutgers’ Center for American Women and Politics, all incumbent women legislators, who ran for re-election won their races; 10 in the State Senate and 24 in the Assembly.

New Jersey will have a total of 36 women of the 120 members of the legislature. That’s about 30 percent of the total.

Harrison said another reason for the lack of female representation is strong political parties, who serve as gatekeepers for crucial nominations. She explained the list of nominees is long from district to district and, unfortunately, women candidates come up short in many areas of the state.

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